Homework Club a celebration of culture

DIVERSITY Homework Club is backing up the learning of the city’s school students.

Run by the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council, 52 young people between the ages of five and 15 regularly attend the group’s Wednesday afternoon sessions that are facilitated virtually.

Coordinator Sarabjit Kaur said team of volunteer tutors deliver the program which is designed to closely align with the academic curriculum participants are involved with at their schools.

Ten-year-old Kartie wrote her own haiku about friendship at Diversity Homework Club.

“Our activities have included haiku writing and poetry, short story writing, paragraph writing, riddles, games, public speaking, panel discussions, argument analysis, debating, and cultural show-and-tell,” she said.

“We also host guest speakers, from Lifesaving Victoria to people from Ballarat Libraries, and recently performed in a virtual choir with the help of Virtual Soul Choir’s George and Geoffrey Williams.”

Ms Kaur said the club caters to specific learning needs. It also has a reading component, rewarding those who are getting into books at home.

The list of members enjoying their reading more than ever is growing, and parents have said their children are always keen to pick out a new book to read in their spare time.

During the Club’s recent creative holiday workshops, children visited the Yarrowee River to see their own handmade micro-bat nesting boxes and mobiles in situ.

“It’s not a tedious program for the students, but one that is supposed to be fun, ensuring they’re proud of their identities and can celebrate their cultural backgrounds,” Ms Kaur said.

“They’re really leaving their inhibitions behind and feeling more confident to put their hand up and present to the group.”

BRMC’s Diversity Homework Club was named Out of School Hours Learning Support Program of the Year in 2020 and 2021, with three volunteers shortlisted for the outstanding tutor prize.

For their work as members of the club, Martha Tuany and Nivashini Neelavannan were also recently acknowledged at the MY Education Awards.

They were named most outstanding primary student, and runner-up to the most outstanding secondary student respectively.

The club has a holiday branch, with creative exploration workshops facilitated by Deborah Klein between school terms.